


Dark Feathers and Indescision

by SolluxanderCaptr



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: A fic about death and how it's represented, F/F, Fatal Disease, P.O.V. Switching, Theres a whole thing i have worked out, basically yachi and her friends are crow-grim reapers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-06 09:57:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5412500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolluxanderCaptr/pseuds/SolluxanderCaptr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Death comes to us in different ways; through old age, through sickness, through murder. It also presents itself to us in different ways, in different omens. Black cats, beetles, prophets, the color red. It makes me wonder why the human race is so focused on death. I hope that they know it isn’t healthy.</p><p>(DISCONTINUED)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dark Feathers and Indescision

How we Stewards came to be is a mystery to everyone. Most of our kind think that the humans’ beliefs were so strong that we came to be just because of that. It’s a fantastical thought, to think that we’re made of dreams and faith. Personally, it makes me feel a bit sad. It makes me feel unreal. I, myself, believe that we’re made of flesh and bone, with the added magic touch of our duties.

Maybe that’s just me, because I only recently became a Steward. After just being a Spirit for so long, I’m still rather attached to my humanity. Or maybe it’s finally lost to me, and it’s just the longing to be alive again that’s there. I was never too good with feelings. But I’m not sure if my human habits will be useful to me now.

My name is Yachi Hitoka, and I’m a recently graduated Steward of Death.

\---- ---- ---- ----

Head Steward Oikawa smiled at me. He handed me my new cloak and scythe. He said he was happy for me. I knew he just wanted more hands on deck; less of a reason to get his hands dirty. Now he could finally promote that Middle Class Steward- Iwasawa or something? I didn't really care about that. I was just happy to get a job.

However, what Head Steward gave me could hardly be considered a job. I was still shadowing one of the Guardians, Kozume. Internally sighing, I walked out of Head Steward's office and out the door of our building. I put my hood up and jumped off the steps, wings outstretched, effectively transforming myself into a crow. I smiled to myself; it had been hard for me to transform. Often times, I fell on my knees, or tripped on the training cloak. Rest in peices, training cloak. I took flight immediately and traveled to the alleyway next to one of the new human restaurants.

Kozume was on a box, tail swishing in the air lazily. He wasn't asleep was he? I landed in front of him. Yes, he was asleep. I screeched at him, unafraid now because of my newly gained status.

He opened one eye, then the other. Then, he sat at full height. In these forms, Kozume was at least three of me tall. I gulped. Though sleepy, at this angle he looked frightening.

“K- Kozume-san!” I said, shaking. Well, so much for not being afraid. “I became an official Steward! You can’t ignore me no- Kozume-san!”

He jumped off his box and started walking away. He turned briefly.

“I really don’t care about that Yachi-san. Let’s just do our rounds and finish up.”

I huffed and flew after him, perching on his back. We stayed in the shadows of alleyways and buildings, seldom running into a human, much less being seen by one. We neared the local hospital. A beautiful woman stepped out; she was pale and had dark, long hair. There was a beauty mark near her mouth and she wore glasses. I was amazed.

“We aren’t here to oogle humans, Yachi-san,” Kenma commented. “Fly up and see if there are any mals.”

‘Mals’. Short for malicious, meaning malicious Spirits. They didn’t teach us the slang while training; they just hoped we would catch on. I remember Hinata (who also shadowed Kozume with me) didn’t understand it quite as quickly as I did. As I flew around, I recalled Hinata being held back for extra help by Kageyama, the supervisor of our sector.

I checked every room, shifting in between forms when I need too. Not that anyone else really knew, but mid-transforming you were… not solid. Meaning that when I flew forward to transform, I could hop through a closed window and be okay. It was a risky sort of thing- which is why barely anyone knew- but I mastered it. With all the extra training I needed for transforming, I had actually become a self-titled expert. I just knew I was good, and was proud of myself. I thought it looked like those cool animated shows humans watched. Kozume thought I looked stupid.

I entered a room, getting tired of transforming. Quickly, I threw the hood of my cloak up. I wandered around, until I encountered a strange nurse. She was shaky looking and was walking down the stairs as I was going up. I leaned in a bit, stretching out a wing, putting myself slightly in her path. She bumped into me.

“Oh, oh my I’m so sorry, miss,” she said to me. She walked down a bit further, then froze.

Then her body twisted toward me, an ugly, distorted twist. Her face no longer ordinary looking, but deathly pale and thin and it was as if a terrible human make-up person had painted dark shadows on her face. Her smile was now a nervous, face splitting grin and her eyes…

They say it’s dangerous to look into the eyes of a Spirit as evil as this. Red and wavering, they seemed to draw in anyone who looked them. But I knew better. I didn’t go through all that training just to fail my first Gathering. I extended both my wings full, making myself look bigger and flapping them, hoping the winds would draw out the mal, as I had seen Steward Sugawara do many times.

Soon, the Spirit’s form shook, as if someone were moving their body slightly to the left and right, zig-zagging an image of their body. And then it broke to reveal a bright red, ugly, defected Soul. In its chest rested four or five innocent Spirits clustered together, varying shades of blue and purple. I noticed the darkest one first; it was the smallest and uppermost. I nearly choked. How on Earth was it so small now?

“Kozume-san!” I screamed. “I found one!”

And out he came bounding out of the shadows, no longer in cat form. In fact, he was mid-transformation. The orange-yellow spots of calico on his hair quickly receded and were replaced with pitch black. Out of his cloak he drew a long and sharp scythe. I stepped back, drawing my wings closer to give him room. He jumped up, ever so graceful and cut the mal in half. The Spirit’s energy broke and released the innocents.

I rushed over to them, immediately taking the smallest one in my hands. I placed one on top of it and felt it. Child. I wanted to cry. It felt like I really was going to. Of all my time, shadowing Kozume and Steward Sugawara, I hadn’t even been prepared for the event of a child Spirit being taken. So not prepared, so, so, so not prepared.

“K- Kozume-san…” I choked out. “There’s barely anything left of the child…”

He turned, just about finished dissipating the last red sparks of the mal. His face softened; Kozume hardly ever softened. I felt his hand upon my back, rubbing circles. And I cried. Actually cried. My chest started to heave, but I tried to control myself as to not damage the child anymore. My breaths felt like they were being forced back in and out of me. It was horrible. I hadn't cried this hard since I was human. At least, that's what it felt like.

My wings circled around us, a reaction to provide protection, but it wasn't like the child could be harmed anymore without... I shuddered. No, no time to think about that. Kozume held me for a few minutes, letting me cry into his shirt. Then, when I stopped he let me be. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he left me, but I knew he was just somewhere inside the hospital. 

I folded my wings again and drew my scythe out. It was smaller and the blade was blunter than that of a Guardian's, softer, made for Souls. One by one, I drew it horizontally through each Soul. As the blue-purple auras dissolved, ghost images of those who died appeared, some longer than others. I held out my hand to them, as I was taught, and they took it. I wasn’t familiar with the cold sensation of not-there, though I knew the process well. I placed my free hand on the Spirit’s chest and spoke.

“I hereby pronounce you... passed.”

Humans had varying reactions. The first, an old woman, nodded and gave me a warm smile. She thanked me. I liked the old ones the best. The second, an old man. He seemed sadder. The first ghost image had lingered. She looked at the second and they smiled at each other.

‘A couple…’ I thought.

The two joined hands and faded to white. I smiled, teary-eyed, partly from them and partly still from the child. The third was a young person. Their hair was dyed blue. I liked it. I took their hand and pressed my other to their chest and pronounced them. They disappeared, seemingly knowing I liked their hair because they flipped it and smirked at me. The fourth was another person, but older. No dyed hair. They looked plain, beard cut short and clean and hair pulled back a bit. I pronounced them and they looked sad, but nodded.

Now the fifth. My scythe could barely cut through. The ghost image was so faded already. Such a small child. I wanted to be gentler with this one.

I knelt down and spread my wings. “Hello. My name is Yachi.”

"Are you an angel?” their small voice asked.

I nodded. “Yes, and right now, I need to get you to Heaven.” It’s not like I was lying. There was Heaven. Maybe not how the child was expecting, but it existed. “Okay now take my hand.” So cold. “Alrighty then. Now I’m going to put my other hand on your chest.” The child nodded, seemingly excited. They were already starting to fade white. “Okay,” I said, “I hereby pronounce you passed.” They completely faded to white.

“Good-bye…” I whispered. I heard an echoing ‘bye-bye miss’ and nearly broke down again.

Kozume appeared beside me again. “Yachi-san, there are no more Spirits here, mal or otherwise. We can go now.” He held out a hand and I took it.

“Don’t we have to round the houses and roads?” I asked, sniffling.

He shook his head and sympathetically smiled. “Not today. I think this was eventful enough for you.”

We walked out of the hospital, hoods up. There was no used in transforming back if our jobs were done. We reached the building and Kozume transformed again, bounding up the steps. I walked up after him like a human, feeling the need to reconnect with my humanity again. We both disappeared through the entrance and I reported to Head Steward’s office.

- -

“So, Yachi-san,” he said, spinning around in his chair, “I heard you encountered a mal today.” I cringed at his pronunciation; he always did things a little differently than others. 

“Yessir,” I replied. “Me and Kozume took it down swiftly and neatly and there were no lingering Spirits. However, there was this one child…”

“Ah, yes, the child.” I detected a bite in his tone. My wings snapped against me. “Yachi, Yachi, Yachi. Do you know why we do the things we do?” He stood, back facing me and looking out the window.

“To give the Spirits a respectful and quick death, sir.”

“And?”

I could almost hear his eyebrow lifting. “To remove all emotion from their death so they can transition easily,” I sighed.

He turned back toward me, wings loose. I gulped. “Yes, exactly, Yachi. So, tell me, why did that child-Spirit today ask if he was in Heaven? Why did he ask to see the yellow-haired angel? Oh, and of course, most importantly, he asked to see his dead father.” Oikawa was still smiling, but his eyes were burning holes in me. His wings had risen, a scare tactic.

“I- I apologize, sir, I wanted to be gentle with him,” I explained. “You see-”

“Ah- ah- ah- ah,” he butted in. “I don’t want to hear your silly excuses Yachi, because, you see, while the first two questions were taken care of, the third could not be answered.”

“Why sir?” I asked, fearing the answer.

“The child’s father was an Uncollected. Just as drained as the child’s soul was and even smaller.”

I quietly gasped. “Oh, oh my gosh, I hadn’t realized- I didn’t think-”

Oikawa sat on his desk and leaned forward, long wings completely spread, blocking out much light. He was so close his nose was an inch from mine. “Then. Don’t. Think.” He smiled again, bright and cheery. “Just do as you’re told, Yachhan, and you’ll be just fine!” They snapped back.

I winced at ‘Yachhan’. Everyone in our department knew a nickname like that meant he was pissed. Even worse were first names, and it was almost like if everyone knew your first name, you would be labeled as a troublemaker. Most knew better though. Kageyama certainly wasn’t a troublemaker.

Oikawa sat down again, fingers laced together and under his chin. “Now, I’ll trust you’ll be better in the future, because I’m assigning you.” He slid a file forward.

I held my breath and opened it. I recognized the face.

“Her name is Kiyoko Shimizu.”


End file.
